Tag: snark

Review: How to Lure a Hunter (VRC: Vampire Related Crimes #3) by Alice Winters

I was excited for this book, and it didn’t disappoint.

4.25 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 377 pages. Published July 24th 2020

Blurb:

Alexei
When Marcus Church brings his brother Claude in to help solve an unusual murder, I’m positive he did it just to disrupt my monotonous life. None of my coworkers in the Vampire Related Crimes unit seem to understand that I want to keep a wall between me and everyone else—especially Claude, who does everything he can to break through it with an annoying smile. After more vampires begin to die, Claude pinpoints the actions of the killers to a group of vampire hunters, leaving us in a race to stop them. When I discover that I have a target on my back, I’m surprised that Claude insists on staying by my side, even when things go from bad to worse. I’m determined to keep him out—I’ve lost enough people in my life—but I can’t stop feeling something every time he breaks through.

Claude
When I reunited with my brother, I never imagined it’d throw me right into Alexei Karsynov’s path. He’s short-tempered, stubborn, and dangerously adorable whenever he smiles—he just doesn’t realize it yet. When Marcus asks me to help with a case, it gives me the excuse I need to get closer to Alexei, but what I discover threatens to change everything. Suddenly, I find myself wanting to do anything to protect Alexei and to see him smile, despite his efforts to keep his distance from others. I’m determined to show him that he can’t live in the past when his future is so much brighter.

How to Lure a Hunter is a 106k word book that contains: Clothes so bright they could cause retina damage, a ridiculous amount of gifts showered on a reluctant recipient, a cranky Russian with a soft spot he tries to hide, a library full of books that need to be treated with the proper respect, some possibly unhealthy sibling teasing, and a sunshiny 300-year-old vampire with an unexpected protective streak. 

Likes:

  • Alexei and Claude, together and separately.
  • The non-romantic plot was interesting.
  • I was pumped for this book, and got hooked easily.
  • Alexei’s backstory was woven into the book well.
  • Claude’s clothes.
  • All the sass.
  • Hot smut.
  • The humor.
  • Claude and Marcus’s relationship.
  • Side characters.

Dislikes:

  • Felt like I was missing something between Karsyn and DeGray.
  • The short date story between Alexei and Claude is at the end of the book, not the beginning.
  • There were times when Claude was almost too annoying.
  • Nothing too surprising in Alexei’s backstory.
  • Some aspects of the plot were unresolved at the end.
  • There is a similarity in the sass between Alexei and Claude.

I was really looking forward to this book. I already liked both Claude and Karsyn from the previous books, and I was looking forward to seeing their romance. And I have to say it was a pleasant read. Alice Winters knows how to mix snark and humor with intense action, and I was hooked fast.

Were there times when Claude was a little too annoying? Yes, but that’s part of his character. He’s so different from the other vampires at the VRC. It was nice to see a vampire who wasn’t dark and brooding. Claude is optimistic and flashy. I loved the comments about his skewed sense of fashion, like his good luck cheetah print suit jacket. I wish we’d found out where he got his fashion sense from, since it was definitely not mainstream.

Alexei’s backstory featured prominently. It was woven into the narrative well, showing the pieces that were important both for the case the team was working on and for understanding Alexei’s personality. And while I enjoyed learning about Alexi’s history, there wasn’t anything too surprising in it. Things were revealed to the characters that I had guessed chapters earlier.

Alexei and Claude came together slowly. I’m not sure if this book is technically a slow burn, but there were definitely times when I wondered if they’d actually become a couple. It took a while for Alexei to open up, but that made it all the more impactful when he did. Claude gave Alexei numerous gifts, but there were a few in particular that really hit the spot and were super sweet moments. There were also smutty moments, and lots of humor.

The non-romantic plot was interesting, and I liked that it was intertwined with Alexei’s past. It was great to see the other members of the VRC again. Claude and Marcus’s relationship was fantastic, especially the moments when Marcus showed that he really did care for Claude.

I did feel like the sass was similar for Alexei and Claude. I do love sassy characters, but Alexei and Claude were so different that it felt like they should be sassy in different ways. I also think their overall personalities could have been a little more robust. There were times when it felt like they were a little too one-note.

A few small aspects of the plot were left unresolved at the end of the book. I hope they will get mentioned in the next one. I also hope that the bit of tension between Karsyn and DeGray will be explained in the next book, since it’s about DeGray. It initially felt like I was missing something between the two men.

I was also missing something at the beginning – the story of what happened during Claude and Alexei’s first date. The story is included in the e-book, but is at the very end. Or you can join Alice Winter’s Facebook group to get it, which I feel like I should do eventually, since she seems like she’d be a fun author to follow. I’m glad the short story was included, even if it’s not really important to the book’s overall plot.

Be sure to check out my reviews for the other books in the series, How to Vex a Vampire (VRC: Vampire Related Crimes #1) and How to Elude a Vampire (VRC: Vampire Related Crimes #2).